5 ways to manage chronic stress
Stress is a normal part of life. There is no way to avoid it entirely, and it wouldn’t be healthy if we did. After all, the stress response evolved as a tool to protect us. However, chronic stress…that stress that lingers longer than is helpful, or perhaps never completely goes away…is harmful to our bodies and souls.
So rather than just grit our teeth and push through stress…or cover it up and try to ignore it…let’s talk about some things we can do to better manage stress, starting with understanding how our bodies respond to threats…whether real or perceived.
But first, a reminder that I am not a health professional. I am, however, sharing evidence-based information that was shared with me by the mindbodygreen faculty, specifically Dayna Y. Jondal, M.A., NBC-HWC and Darshi Shah, M.S., M.A., NBC-HWC.
Fight or flight: the effects of stress on the human body
You’ve likely heard of the fight or flight response. But what exactly is it? When your brain perceives a threat, it triggers the Sympathetic Nervous System, releasing hormones into your body to prepare you to address that threat:
- Increases heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose availability in the blood
- Increases sensory alertness and cognition
- Blunts perception of pain.
- Shifts blood flow patterns from the center (digestion) towards large skeletal muscles, which tense up
- Decreases sex drive
- Suppresses immune system
- Shifts the energy budget to emergency mode, away from rest, digest, growth, tissue repair, and reproduction.
I love this explanation: if a tornado is headed for your house, you are not going to clean up the garage. That is to say, your body is not going to waste energy targeting things that might damage or kill you down the road when there is an immediate threat that needs to be dealt with now.
Acute stress is your body’s way of protecting you. The problem arises when the stress response doesn’t properly turn off after the threat has passed. So what can we do to support the Parasympathetic Nervous System, which is responsible for the shut-down of the fight or flight response?
Tips for preventing or alleviating chronic stress
As with most things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The activities we put our time and attention to on a regular basis are most effective in allowing the activation of the Parasympathetic Nervous System when it is most needed, following a stressful situation.
- Regular movement of the body: The CDC recommends 75-150 minutes per week of moderate or vigorous exercise plus two days a week or more of strength training. But before you get too caught up in the numbers or overwhelmed calculating intensity, remember that some activity is better than none. Just get moving in a way that you enjoy.
- Relaxation: First and foremost, prioritize getting adequate sleep. Individual needs vary, but current U.S. guidelines recommend a minimum of seven hours per night for adults. Other things that fall into the category of relaxation include taking breaks, breathing exercises, a soak in the tub, or spending time in nature…anything that inspires you to relax.
- Social support: Simply put, connect with other people. Spend time with family and friends, send letters to people you know or appreciate (like frontline heroes or service workers), volunteer, or connect with community resources.
- Clean eating: Nutrition practices that support the Parasympathetic Nervous System include eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and low-fat milk products; as well as limiting saturated fats, cholesterol, salt, added sugars, and alcohol intake. You know the drill: avoid using tobacco and drugs other than those prescribed by your doctor and in the manner prescribed.
- Self-care: This is a more general category that encompasses the other four tips, but also includes tending to your specific needs, getting appropriate medical care, and participating in activities that you enjoy and that allow you to get into a state of flow.
Stress is a normal and even necessary part of life. While we cannot control the genetic hands we were dealt or many of the circumstances that trigger stress, there is much we can do to manage that stress. And as it turns out, those activities that have been proven to support stress management are the same things that come up in almost every other discussion of healthy habits. It’s that simple…and sometimes that challenging.
Your turn
- Is there one small thing you can change in any of these categories?
- What is your go-to relaxation technique or activity?
- What is one form of movement you enjoy? (It doesn’t have to be “exercise.”)
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you.
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay
Hi Christie, ahhhh chronic stress. We are very familiar with each other. I was the victim of chronic stress in the corporate space back in 2012. I’ve written about it in earlier years of my blog. I’m again dealing with chronic stress now but I am better equipped to deal with it. I know myself better. I know when I need time alone, when I need time in nature and I know that I need things like walking and yoga and pilates and lately I’ve discovered Reiki which I’m finding very helpful to relax me and calm the farm a bit. There’s also ASMR Reiki which I love because if you start dozing off you still have the sounds that are relaxing. I find it all on YouTube – it’s been very helpful for me lately. Thanks so much for linking up with #WWWhimsy – hope you’re having a wonderful week! xo
I can relate to corporate-related stress and aging parent stress, Min. My heart goes out to you. I am glad to hear that you have developed tools to deal with it better and learned to listen more closely to your body and spirit. I’ll check out ASMR Reiki. This is the second time I’ve heard of ASMR this week, so maybe the Universe is trying to tell me something. Wishing you a wonderful week as well! XO
I do think we all have some kind of anxiety/stress to manage which can be at different levles in our lives. Mine appears to be heightened during this ageing thing I am experiencing but I do know (mostly) how to counter it. I go outside…in the space that is bigger than my head) and I might take time to write things down and to do some art.
We are,as they say, all works in progress.
Denyse #TeamWWWhimsy
Those are all lovely ways to manage stress, Denyse. Nature is the great healer, isn’t it? And, yes, we are all works in progress…as it should be. Here’s to a calm week or at least a well-managed one!
I have dealt with extreme stress a few times in my life. I do think that I’m able to handle it quite well. I seem to be able to do whatever it is that will relieve the stress. Exercise, whether it be walking or cycling is always seems to quiet my stress. My more relaxing way to manage stress, is to sit down for a while and read. I know that isn’t always possible when in the stress zone. I love the tips you have given, and agree with them.
I love that sometimes the answer to your stress is to work it out and other times it is to relax more, Jen. We actually talked about both of those methods of stress management in my recent class. If you are in tune with yourself, you’ll know which one you need in any given moment. Beautiful.
Years ago I took a class on managing stress. It wasn’t about making stress go away but about accepting its existence in your life. From that class I learned to allow myself to say: “yep I’m experiencing stress right now and it is okay that this is happening.” For me just naming what is happening and understanding its place in my life has helped me feel less stress overall. Kind of a basic “if you can name it you can claim it” approach to reality.
I think you are on to something, Ally. There are scientific studies that show your attitude about stress changes the way in which it affects your body. If you think all stress is bad…it is. If you accept that a certain amount of stress is necessary and maybe even good…the longterm effects on your body are less severe.
Hi Christie – I think retirement has been my key to de-stressing my life (and leaving that toxic place where I worked was a game changer). I think we need to expect to have a little low grade stress in our lives because we live in a noisy, busy world…..but we can create our own little pockets of peace – and we can choose what we give our attention to. I’m choosing to be more intentional about where I let my mind and emotions dwell these days.
I, too, turned the stress way down with retirement, Leanne. I like the idea of creating our own little pockets of peace in an often less than peaceful world. And, yes, where we focus our attention is huge when it comes to managing stress. Here’s to lessons learned, huh!
I’m just starting to learn the intricacies behind Laughter Yoga and it truly is the best antidote to stress that I’m yet to find.
I haven’t tried laughter yoga, Caree, but my daughter did. She found it a little awkward at first, but warmed up to it, as the session progressed.
I know I have chronic stress, although sometimes it’s worse than others. I don’t have a huge pressing problem, but rather constant worry over ongoing issues. As a result I seem to have lots of anxiety. I bounce between trying to ignore the issues and not being able to get out of my head and stop thinking about them! 🤣 I think these are good suggestions Christie.
Life has a way of doing that to us, Cindy. Hopefully, you found something in this blog that can help a little. I know the time we recently spent together taking a break was restorative for me. Luckily, we have another get-away to look forward to soon. XO
With this silly broken foot, I have gone from an average of 9K steps daily to 90 steps daily!! Ha!! Actually, I did get 2K yesterday by hopping on one foot. But that was not stress relieving, it was stressful. I miss being active. I miss walking in my yard, checking our plants, enjoying our view. I think that has been the hardest thing about this recuperation period. I need to write my feelings instead of banging around the house in my rolling office chair complaining.
A broken foot can do that to you, Leslie! Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery, and in the meantime, happy writing!
It’s interesting Christie, how we all have various ways of dealing with stress. For some reason I seem to be getting more anxious about things as I get older so have to continually work on de-stressing by having fun, watching how I react (over-react might be a better way of describing it) and limiting the overthinking. Thanks for your post! #TeamWWWhimsy
It is so interesting, Deb, to hear how different people’s stress levels are affected by aging in various ways and how they best manage it. I love the idea of intentionally having fun as an anecdote to stress. Here’s wishing you a fun week!
When I was younger, I believed stress was a positive thing. As I got older and wiser, I realised that having deadlines made me better at getting stuff done – entirely different. I suffered from burnout and was tested for Cushings due to the extremely elevated levels of cortisol in my body. I’ve become somewhat better at dealing with stress, but if I take my eye off the ball of doing all those things which help me to manage it, the overwhelm can flood back, as it did just last month.
It sounds like you discovered the difference between Eustress and Distress, Debs. I agree, it’s so easy to let good habits slip and open the door for stress to come flooding in. I hope things are settling down for you now. Here’s to a more peaceful October!